[Behavioral Features and Neural Basis of Vocal Communication in Mice]

Mice use ultrasonic vocalizations beyond the range of human hearing to achieve social communication. This review summarizes the behavioral features of mouse ultrasonic vocalizations, including pup calls, male courtship vocalizations, and vocalizations emitted during female-female and male-male interactions. It also compares mouse vocalizations with rat ultrasonic calls and bird songs. Finally, this review discusses male courtship vocalizations as an index of sexual motivation and emotional expression, and outlines their neuroendocrine regulation through sex hormones and neural circuits centered on the medial preoptic area.